Missing Names, Party Disputes Raise Concerns Over INEC’s 2027 Candidates’ List

The omission of several governorship and legislative candidates from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) final list for the 2027 general elections has triggered protests by political parties and calls for clarification from the electoral body.

Among the affected politicians are former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Pantami, the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate in Ogun State, Oladipupo Adebutu, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress candidate in Kano State, Aminu Gwarzo. Other affected candidates include former senator Danjuma Tella La’ah of Kaduna State and the Social Democratic Party’s candidate in Benue State, Professor Sebastine Hon.

The PDP said it was engaging INEC to resolve the omissions of its candidates in Ogun and Gombe states. Adebutu maintained that he had fulfilled the party membership and nomination requirements, while Pantami’s camp described the omission as a temporary setback and said its legal and liaison teams were working with the party and INEC to address the issue.

In Kano State, the NDC blamed a possible administrative error for the omission of Gwarzo and his running mate, Mustapha Kwankwaso. The party said it had submitted their names within the stipulated deadline and was seeking clarification from the commission. INEC had not publicly confirmed the alleged technical error as of the time of the report.

The Action Alliance also threatened legal action over the omission of some of its candidates, including governorship contestants in Rivers, Oyo, Nasarawa and Bauchi states. Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress in Jigawa State protested the omission of its endorsed deputy governorship candidate, Aminu Ringim, and several other candidates.

However, some cases involve internal party disputes and eligibility issues rather than alleged administrative errors. In Kwara State, the African Action Congress governorship candidate, Duwatsu Musa, was excluded because he had not attained the constitutional minimum age of 35 required to contest the governorship election.

Other disagreements have emerged over party primaries, replacement of candidates and pending court cases in states including Lagos, Plateau, Oyo and Bauchi. Some parties have attributed the discrepancies to internal leadership crises, while others insist that their candidates met the requirements for inclusion.

The affected parties have called on INEC to clarify the circumstances surrounding the omissions and resolve legitimate complaints through the appropriate legal and administrative procedures ahead of the 2027 elections.